1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a door closer mechanism adapted for usage in conjunction with a first door mounted in juxtaposition with a second door such as a screen door mounted with an entry door of an edifice or house. More specifically, the present invention relates to a door hold open and controlled release mechanism for use with a two-door arrangement, the mechanism comprising a catch mechanism for holding the first door open and a catch release mechanism for closing the first door upon the closing of the second door.
2. Description of the Related Art
Door closers sold for use with screen doors or storm doors are typically in the form of a cylinder with an axially extendable rod, which is biased toward retracting by an internal coil spring and damped pneumatically or hydraulically. In order to hold the door in an open position a manual latching feature is generally provided in the form of a tab through which the rod extends. The tab prevents retraction of the rod because the cylinder end contacts it off center creating a leveraged frictional force on the rod sufficient to counter the bias spring.
In order to hold the door open, the user must restrain the door from closing while reaching up and moving the tab along the rod to the base of the cylinder. In order to release the door, the user must hold it open a bit further to free the tab so it may be moved to the free end of the rod.
These operations are cumbersome and inconvenient and especially so when carrying packages.
There has been no simple, inexpensive and convenient way to hold open and close a screen or storm door before the invention disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,039 (Delay Door Closer to Crawford). This device holds a first door once it has been opened to a certain position then allows it to close when the second door is opened past a set point. This invention however was limited to having the second door release the first door upon the opening of the second door.